Singapore listed energy and utilities firm, Sembcorp industries was opened USD $ 310 million worth the new Sembcrop Myingyan Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Myingyan to generate power for 5.3 million people needs

Singapore-listed energy and utilities firm Sembcorp Industries marked the official opening of the US$310 million Sembcorp Myingyan Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Myingyan, Mandalay on March 16.

With a contracted capacity of 225 megawatts, the plant is one of the largest combined-cycle gas turbine plants in Myanmar. It is also the country’s most efficient power plant, featuring advanced technology to maximise power output and minimise greenhouse gas emissions.

Sembcorp Myingyan Power Company began operations in October 2018 with the Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) providing 37 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day to the plant from the Shwe Natural Gas Project.

That will enable the plant to generate around 1,500 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, helping to meet the power needs of approximately 5.3 million people, said Neil McGregor, Group President and chief executive of Sembcorp.

The plant is also the first competitively-tendered IPP in the country. It will also generate its own solar electricity for onsite use, which means that the plant will need less of the power generated by its gas turbines to run its own operations, thereby maximising the power it can export to the grid.

Electricity generated from the plant is linked with the 230-KV Myingyan-Thapyay Wa transmission line, said U Win Khaing, Union Minister for Electricity and Energy, during the opening ceremony of the plant.

According to an agreement signed in January 2017 between Sembcorp and the MOEE, the company will build, operate and own the power plant for the first 22 years, after which ownership will be transferred to the government.

Sembcorp Myingyan was funded by the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as well as international commercial lenders.

Importantly, “the success of Sembcorp Myingyan would not have been possible without the favourable reception of the local community, which has supported us throughout the project,” said Dennis Foo, managing director of Sembcorp Myingyan.

To give back to the community, Sembcorp has installed 14 water treatment plants in 13 villages in the vicinity of the plant, providing more than 19,000 people with access to clean drinking water within 500 metres of their homes, Mr Foo said.

The opening of the plant comes amid heightened attempts to bring a reliable supply of electricity to the farthest reaches of the country. Among them are efforts to draw energy investments from Singapore firms.

Other projects involving Singapore include the 52 MW Ywama gas power plant with Avarga Ltd and 50 MW Thaketa gas power plant with Myanmar Power Company.

(The Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/new-sembcorp-myingyan-plant-generate-power-53-million-people.html )

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